Nusa Penida Day Trip & Nusa Penida Travel Guide

We could not wait to explore Nusa Penida, Bali. It had been on our minds for so long that from the moment we arrived back in Nusa Lembongan, we dropped our bags at our hotel, rented a scooter and headed straight to get a boat to Nusa Penida. Let’s start by saying that even if you can only fit a Nusa Penida day trip into your Bali itinerary then it will still be worth it. The natural landscapes of this amazing island will live up to expectation. Here is our experience of a Nusa Penida Day Trip from Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida Travel Guide to help you plan your trip.

CONTENTS
Nusa Penida Map
How To Get To Nusa Penida Island?
How To Get Around Nusa Penida?
What To See In Nusa Penida?
One Day Nusa Penida Itinerary: West Nusa Penida
How Long To Spend On Nusa Penida?
How Much Does A Day Trip To Nusa Penida Cost?
Nusa Penida Accommodation
Things To Know Before You Go To Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida Map

How To Get To Nusa Penida Island

How To Get To Nusa Penida From Nusa Lembongan

We actually have an entire article that goes into all the details, price, where to go, how long it takes and everything you need to know about the boat trip to Nusa Penida from Nusa Lembongan. Basically, you need to make your way to the Yellow Bridge (Lembongan Side) and get a boat over to Nusa Penida.

The boat back to Nusa Lembongan will go from the same beach (Toyapakeh Harbour) and leaves 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm and 5 pm. After 5 pm the tide can get too low to return all the way back to the Yellow Bridge on Lembongan. Make sure to check your return times when you buy your ticket, as it may differ depending on the time of year and tides.

How To Get To Nusa Penida From Bali

If you are coming from Bali mainland, you can also get a boat from Bali to Nusa Penida.  The most common route is to get a fast boat from Sanur to Nusa Penida. If you’re coming from Kuta or Seminyak or other areas in South Bali, your boat ticket from Sanur may include free pick up from your accommodation. If you decide to do an organised Nusa Penida tour, your boat transfer may be included in tour packages from Bali to Nusa Penida.

How To Get Around Nusa Penida

Car Or Scooter To Explore Nusa Penida?

Nusa Penida is definitely not a small island, and one of the first decisions you need to make is how to explore Nusa Penida. There are two main ways to explore this amazing land, motorbike or hiring a car with a driver.

Unlike on Nusa Lembongan, I would not choose to ride a scooter as my way to get around Nusa Penida. I must admit we are not that confident on a scooter under normal conditions, but after seeing the conditions of the roads and combine that with the scorching sun and seeing a few accidents, we honestly believe a motorbike is only a good option for really experienced motorbike riders.

We almost got scooters but opted for a driver and car instead which we were very happy we did. Our driver cost us 600.000 IDR and we saw the main places we wanted to see. The roads are very bumpy in parts, even in the car. But you’re protected from the sun and heat, and the best part is you have your very own local guide in your driver.

How To Organise A Nusa Penida Private Driver

We decided on the day to visit Nusa Penida and when we arrived we just found a driver from the road by the beach. There were a few people all offering their services. We just started talking to one man and discussing where we wanted to go and negotiated a price. We agreed to a price and we were then taken and introduced to Andri, our eventual driver. It was very straightforward and all the drivers who were offering their services were friendly and not in your face at all which was great.

Our Driver Andri was awesome and we loved our day with him. He was so happy to share his knowledge and stories, and this was one of the best parts of the day for us. Another perk that we didn’t even think about, he was so happy to take photos of us, all the photos of us in this article he took. He was even volunteering climbing trees to get the shot! Above and beyond. Super nice guy. If you wanted to see if he is available to drive you when you are on Nusa Penida Andri’s WhatsApp number is +62 878-6526-5006. Unfortunately, Andri’s WhatsApp number is no longer available.

What To See In Nusa Penida

There are so many amazing things to do in Nusa Penida, but keep in mind it’s a large island so it can take time to explore the entire island. If you are planning on doing a Nusa Penida day trip rather then spending a few nights here, then you may need to choose between exploring the East and West part of Nusa Penida.

The sights in East Nusa Penida are further apart from each other and therefore more time is needed to get to each of them. For this reason, East Nusa Penida is easier to do when staying a few nights on Nusa Penida, but if you just pick a few of these sights it can be done in a Nusa Penida day trip.

The sights in West Nusa Penida can be seen on a Nusa Penida day trip, but we would suggest starting early in the day to really make the most of it. It can still take almost an hour between some sights, which can be super tiring as Nusa Penida roads are pretty rough and bumpy.

One Day Nusa Penida Itinerary: West Nusa Penida

This is our West Nusa Penida Itinerary, which is a great route to follow to explore Nusa Penida in a day.

Nusa Lembongan To Nusa Penida

Time Taken To Get From Nusa Lembongan To Nusa Penida: 10 minutes

Leave your accommodation in Nusa Lembongan and make your way to the harbour near Yellow Bridge. You can buy your boat tickets to Nusa Penida at a desk near the beach. We waited about 5 minutes for a boat, it’s basically just whenever enough people have bought a ticket to fill the boat. It only takes about 10 minutes on the boat until you reach Toyapakeh Harbour on Nusa Penida. Once you get off the boat, there are local people offering motorbike or car/driver hire. We decided to go with a car and driver option, which ended up being great as you get so many of the local insights along the way.

Kelingking & Paluang Cliff

Time Taken To Get From Toyapakeh Harbour to Kelingking: 50 minutes

Kelingking Beach is one of the most beautiful places you will see in Nusa Penida. Even though I’m sure you’ve seen many stunning photos, trust me when I say even those don’t do it justice. When you arrive you can get many different vantages from the top, and it’s worth walking around to check them all out. Our favourite lookout of Kelingking Beach was the area to the right if you were looking out to sea. You will walk up over a small hill on a dirt path and on the other side there are some stunning views of Kelingking Beach. On the day we visited, you could see huge Manta Rays in the water below, it was amazing how easily you could see them.

As Kelingking Beach is one of the most popular sights in Nusa Penida, I would recommend coming here early in the morning or around sunset (if you’re not planning on walking down to the beach), as there should be fewer people. We arrived here around 11 am and it was very busy.

You can also take the path down the cliff to reach Kelingking Beach. The dirt path is very steep, almost vertical in parts, and has a very sketchy looking bamboo handrail. When we visited, there were so many people at the start of this path that it really wasn’t enticing to walk down a narrow sketchy path with people pushing past you. So we decided to stay at the top and find the best views of Kelingking Beach. From what we have heard, if you decide to head down the path to the beach, wear joggers, and be prepared for a tough hike. And be careful.

Time needed at Kelinking Beach: If you’re staying at the top then you can spend as little time as you wish to take in the views. But we’d recommend spending at least an hour walking around to the different vantage points, as this isn’t something you see every day. If you walk down to the beach you will need a lot more time, I believe the walk is at least 45 minutes each way, and you will probably need a substantial break before you hike back up.

Angels Billabong & Broken Beach

Time Taken To Get From Kelingking To Angels Billabong & Broken Beach: 40 minutes

Next up, make your way to Angels Billabong & Broken Beach. Now, when it comes to Nusa Penida roads, the road to Broken Beach & Angels Billabong is perhaps one of the worst. It’s so so bumpy and dusty, this is the part where we saw lots of people walking their motorbikes. Our driver joked that they call it the broken road to Broken beach.  But in a place where getting to each site is quite a mission, its so nice that two stunning sights are right next to each other, only a 5-minute walk between Angels Billabong & Broken Beach.

Angels Billabong is a gorgeous rock pool, that looks like a natural infinity pool. You can swim here, but the rocks are super sharp and it’s not safe to swim when it’s high tide. We honestly didn’t spend much time here, it was fairly busy, so we kept moving around to Broken Beach.

Now, Broken Beach was a place that I really loved. One minute you’re walking on brown dirt paths and then you’re seeing the deep blue water crushing into the rocks in this not-so-secretive secret beach. Now don’t think of the word beach and think you will be swimming, you’re more walking around the top of the cliff with a little beach and inlet from the ocean below. Make sure to walk the entire way around, it’s stunning from every direction.

Time needed at Broken Beach & Angels Billabong: I would say at least an hour is needed here, longer if you’re happy walking around and relaxing here, or if you’re swimming at Angels Billabong. 

Crystal Bay

Time Taken To Get From Angels Billabong & Broken Beach To Crystal Bay: 1 hour

The last stop of the day is Crystal Bay. This is a beautiful area surrounded by coconut trees, sandy beach, blue water and a few local warungs. I couldn’t imagine ending our day any other way. After a day in the car on Nusa Penida’s bumpy roads, your back will be feeling it, you will be a little exhausted and seeing the beach (not from a cliff) and the coconut trees are heavenly. Swim, eat, relax, wander.

Time needed at Crystal Bay: However long you want to relax and swim. 

Toyapakeh Harbour To Nusa Lembongan

Time Taken To Get From Crystal Bay to Toyapakeh Harbour: 20 minutes

Getting from Crystal Bay to Toyapakeh Harbour is thankfully only a 15 to 20-minute drive on some fairly decent Nusa Penida roads. Wait on the beach for your boat to take you back to Nusa Lembongan, which is only a short and relaxing 10-minute boat ride.

How Long To Spend On Nusa Penida?

That’s a tough one. We did a Nusa Penida day trip and loved it but you could easily spend a few days here. We only saw a few of the main places (the places we mentioned above) and didn’t really spend too long in any one spot. If that is ok for you then a day trip is amazing. We were super happy with what we did but wished we had gotten to Nusa Penida a couple hours earlier to be able to have spent longer at Crystal Bay and have a nice long swim and not be worried about missing the last boat back to Nusa Lembongan. Some of the popular places like Thousand Island are also further away than you may think. Also if you plan on climbing down to any of the beaches or temples these things will all take more time than you may think.

Overall we loved our Nusa Penida day trip so much and it was a stunning place you have to see to understand how beautiful it is. If you are planning on doing a day trip I would try to get there as early as you can. We got there at about 10:30 AM and would have loved to have got there at 8 AM just to give us time to spend longer at Crystal Bay and relax after the day exploring. If you want to do more in a day than we did, we would recommend staying on Nusa Penida for a night or two to truly enjoy your adventures.

How Much Does A Nusa Penida Day Trip Cost?

Return Boat Trip to Nusa Penida From Nusa Lembongan, For 2 People: 240.000 IDR

Private Car with Driver from 10:30 am – 5 pm (arranged on arrival): 600.000 IDR

Food And Drink: Standard Warung prices, dependent on what you order. Food range 20.000 IDR – 60.000 IDR

Toilets: 5.000 IDR per visit

Some photo spots will also incur a fee. We, however, did not do any of these.

Nusa Penida Accommodation

Although we didn’t stay the night in Nusa Penida, there are some great Nusa Penida Hotels and Homestays if you are planning to stay a few nights. Here are some of our favourite options for where to stay in Nusa Penida.

Semabu Hills Hotel Nusa Penida | $110 | Check Prices

Our pick for luxury hotels in Nusa Penida, it’s perched on a hill and has stunning views and a beautiful infinity pool.

Coco Resort Penida | $117 | Check Prices

Our pick for luxury hotels in Nusa Penida with a modern take on traditional design, location close to Crystal Bay and pool.

La Roja Bungalows | $65 | Check Prices

Our pick for value for money, beautiful design and pool.

Ananta Bungalow | $52 | Check Prices

Our pick for value for money and being able to walk to the beach at Crystal Bay.

The Catar Cottages | $49 | Check Prices

Our pick for value for money and comes well reviewed.

Double-G Guest House | $29 | Check Prices

Our pick for budget accommodation in Nusa Penida with private bathroom, aircon, free wifi, and convenient location close to Toyapakeh Harbour.

And if you’re doing a Nusa Penida day trip from Nusa Lembongan like us, then you can find the best places to stay in Nusa Lembongan here.

Things To Know Before You Go To Nusa Penida

When Is The Best Time To Visit Nusa Penida?

Just like Bali’s mainland, it’s possible to visit Nusa Penida all year round. However, the best time to visit Nusa Penida is during the dry season and also when the sea conditions are best. This way you will have more chance of an enjoyable boat ride to Nusa Penida. You will also have less chance of rain, which is pretty important on Nusa Penida as the roads are not completely developed so it will be much more difficult to get around in the rain, or if it has been raining the day before.

Nusa Penida Food

Most of the food available on Nusa Penida is in small local warungs. These warungs are spread out over Nusa Penida, and you can usually find at least one warung near each of the main sights. The areas with the most warungs during our day trip were at Toyapakeh harbour and at Crystal Bay. Eating in Nusa Penida is more about trying the local dishes at simple warungs and having local interactions.

What To Bring To Nusa Penida

Most things are paid in cash in Nusa Penida, so I would definitely bring enough cash for everything you want to do (food, driver, accommodation etc). It can also get very hot, so of course, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. And depending on what you want to do in Nusa Penida, joggers are great for getting around some of the sights and thongs (flip-flops) and swimmers if you’re planning on spending time at the beach.

Nusa Penida Safety

Nusa Penida is a stunning island but there are some things to look out for during your time there. We don’t want to sound like your parents, but we also saw firsthand some of the dangers and heard about some things that made us really want to make sure everyone is aware so you can enjoy Nusa Penida but stay safe too :)

Firstly, the roads are pretty rough so if you choose to ride a motorbike, be careful, or maybe consider a driver if you’re not a competent motorbike rider. We saw a few accidents and some roads where people were just pushing their motorbikes.

Each of the Nusa Penida sights are stunning but can be a little dangerous, so just make sure to be careful, watch where you are stepping and keep an eye out for those around you. Some of the sights have significant drops with no railings and can get really busy with people pushing past you. With Angels Billabong, although you can swim in it, the rocks are super sharp and it’s really only safe at low tide. People have been swept out to sea from here and have not made it back. And lastly, I know people travel for different reasons, but to us, no photo is worth risking your life for.

What We Loved/Didn’t Love From Our Nusa Penida Day Trip

We loved the nature and landscapes. We didn’t love that only the touristy spots are really shared and visited and you can feel like you are only there to see sights and not experience the culture (unless you see some of the amazing temples). Nusa Penida roads were not great and were very bumpy, even in a car. This may change over time but if it gets much busier, traffic blocks on skinny roads will become an issue too. Not a spot for mopeds unless you are super confident and love the whole riding experience. But overall, it’s beautiful, we have never seen anywhere like it.

Read More:

How To Get To Nusa Penida From Nusa Lembongan

Things To Do In Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan Bali

Where To Stay In Nusa Lembongan Bali: Our Accommodation Guide

Where To Eat In Nusa Lembongan Bali

Have you explored Nusa Penida Bali? What were your favourite things to do in Nusa Penida?